Eagle Original Adventures Volume 1--Preorder NOW!

It is coming! And from one of my favorite publishers, MOONSTONE!  However, I've noticed a few odd things. It is vital that a certain, extremely realistic, threshold be passed for pre-orders for the book to be printed.  There are a few links such as WESTFIELD COMICS and HEAVY INK that are offering it.  However, some of the big companies such as Mile High Comics and MyComicShop.com do NOT have it on site.  Stranger still, there is no mention of it on Moonstone's own page!  The pre-order is underway and it is Diamond code MAR111192.  Order it at your local shop by number, or ask your favorite online retailer for it by name and code.  Do it now...I promise you will not be disappointed by this volume. It collects the first 6 issues of the original series and contains a few nifty bonus items from the Vokes archives!!  And there is my favorite Skull Faced Avatar of Agression, DEATH'S HEAD / DEATH'S DARK ANGEL...right there on the cover. 

Be sure to let retailers know you want EAGLE.  Because I've seen some of the new material, and this will pave the way for you getting to gawk at the Kung Fu and Mystic Magic of Vokes all the sooner!

Neil Vokes pays tribute to Paul Naschy

Neil Vokes' artwork is no stranger to this blog, and when he took up the task of paying tribute to Paul Naschy I had high hopes.  As usual he surpassed even my expectations!  Check this great Daninsky out...and for even MORE images, go to his blog right here.  THAT'S ALL VOKES!

Gauntlet! Early Neil Vokes n' Rich Rankin story...at last!

Now this is really nice, cool comics cat Neil Vokes and his Eagle cohort Rich Rankin's first published work in Comico Primer #6 is now online HERE. Rough? Maybe a bit, but page 7 is awesome fun and the mix of fantasy and science fiction would serve the dynamic duo well when Eagle was hatched. Be sure to poke around co2 Comics for more fun, the Reggie Byers story is great as well!

Eagle - The Original Adventures Volume 1

After many moons of waiting I was rewarded with the arrival of the first volume of EAGLE: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES by Neil Vokes, Rich Rankin and Jack Herman!

I have a long history with Eagle really, it came out during the big Black and White comics boom and instantly caught my eye because it had so many elements I enjoyed. Kung Fu? Check! Mystic Mayhem? Check! Dystopian science fiction hard edged noir? Check! A big honking purple guy called DEATH'S HEAD?? Oh check yes... They had me hook line and sinker. The initial 12 issues stand as one of the best indies of the 80s when read as a stand alone unit. Back when a double sized issue meant something, #12 of Eagle was a king sized treat amidst a slumping big 2 "event" period. Also, I have some bittersweet memories of reading this book when a particularly close relative was sick and in the hospital. You know you really ENJOY something when you find yourself digging for something to read while you sit up all night at a bedside.
Eagle was that book.
Some years later I met Neil via the Eurotrash Paradise and I remember just typing "Neil "EAGLE" Vokes? Holy CRAP!! Of course, he has done lots of other stuff, but he'll always be Eagle's proud papa to me. We became good friends...but hey, I can say this without bias and be honest. I was a fan of this guy long before I knew him as the cherub faced man with the devilish dervish hands.

So...what is in this book and why do you NEED it? Well, you need it because if you are a comic fan and remember the book at all, revisiting the early issues will bring you back to not just the story, but the very best of that period of collecting comics. There were some excellent first issues coming out back then when creators (many that would go on to be quite famous) were cutting loose and putting out books that they personally felt and wanted to present. Grendel comes to mind, but I've long placed Eagle and the first Capital City (!!) issue of Whisper as the tops of the heap. You get the first 3 issues, which introduce Richard Eagle, Wulfgar, Acacia, Alarik and the rest of the crew in fine fashion. Fans of Neil's work will find these books very interesting if they have not seen them-while they look different in some ways, there is a raw energy in every panel that he has harnessed and refined over the years. But they also feel just right-with tons of the trademarked Vokes fight choreography (the man sure does love his kung fu flicks) and a weird sense of ANYTHING can happen in the next panel that you don't often see.

Oh, and there are ninja. I love ninja. Anything ninja is good.

But the package doesn't stop at the three issues (which are full issues, not the independent books you see today that have about 14 pages of story and a ton of house ads for other 14 page books full of house ads for the book you just paid for)...no, it features a lot of bonus material. This is the Criterion DVD release of Eagle!


First up is The History of Eagle-a fascinating montage of editorials from the original books that were written by Rich Rankin and annotated by Neil Vokes. I love it because not only do you get a hands on history, but one that progressed with the rise and fall of the book and the independent comics market as well. From early success to cancellation notice, it really is a compelling read beyond the subject matter. I always looked forward to the original editorials... I knew who Siri was a very very long time before she would be giving my kids juice boxes in her new home. Those wacky Eaglers were always really upfront and made the editorial parts of the book a lot of fun to read.


After the main presentation is a selection of artwork that includes THE Vokes / Rankin Bruce Lee shot I've always enjoyed so much, the first 3 E-Book covers, an amazing Eagle's Girls piece by Neil and Michael Avon Oeming from 1995, a great 1986 Christmas card (Eisner would love that chimney!) and some concept art for one of the "next phase" Eagle tales. This includes an image of Richard Eagle done in 2001 that I find is one of the most compelling images, very quiet and very strong, that Neil has put to paper.

Then (yes...there is more) there is an essay about those "next phase" books! Eagle: The New Adventures is an essay on how the original series was created and the things that have happened in between the now and then of Eagle's next appearance. Most excitingly is a print version of the first pages of Eagle:Legacy...and this is a FANTASTIC knock down drag out battle that makes me happy with every little image. Comparing it to the issues that you just read is amazing-Eagle has matured stylistically along with Neil. In many ways I think Eagle will stand as Neil's real achievement, his earliest works as a professional artist dovetail neatly in this character as he brings all his talents to bear on him. Fight scenes! High Drama! Weird Crackle! Inner Orbscapes! And yes...a wonderful sense of motion in the parts where the characters have to do all that talkin' and gesturin' will be there as well.

Hey, I'm excited...and I hope that those that haven't read the book will try it. Or if you enjoyed The Black Forest, The Wicked West, Parliament of Justice or even Neil's Spidey/Dr. Strange book and want to have some fun reading a book that just doesn't slow down for a second-check it out.

You can order a copy from LULU.com by clicking HERE or better yet, you can get a signed copy, direct from Neil that will also include a sketch for only 30 dollars (barely more than a copy from Lulu.com after shipping by the way). Contact him at ndv45@comcast.net for details. Or just email him EAGLE LIVES in all caps. He'll know I sent you.

Also, you can preview the book via Lulu, or check out the new OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE.

Eagle Lives again...good times both looking back and going forwards! Check yer orb at the door and check this book out.

They Baked The Big Apple with a BRONX CRACKDOWN

A "lost" classic is unearthed...at least in part. Here is the rough for the Bronx Crackdown VHS cover. Think of it as a TOUGH TO KILL deleted scene. For all the skinny, check out the GOBSMAKT! Studios entry right here!

Design by Neil Vokes...baked apple by Paul Cooke!

Project...? POST-APOCALYPTIC PEPLUM??

Again, I'm sorry for the delay everyone, lots of curve balls in the real world lately, but of them all-the best was spending hours dreaming up names and ideas to go with faces and swords on the project I mentioned in the post below this one. Neil Vokes is a friend, and aside from that he is someone that I've followed the work output of for many years. Check out my EAGLE BLOG, or look at the VOKES tab for more on Neil and my take on some of his work.

And yeah...this is the guy who did the YOR poster I love so much.

I can honestly say that I have only called two people Sifu over the years, and Neil is one of them. So, I'm beyond hyped up and my poor little skull is working triple time to contain the ideas brimming out. What comes from Neil's pencils will undoubtedly go beyond even what I can see in my minds eye-and I think it will clonk some heads. Hint hint...I'm going in to this using the Title of this post as my starting point. Below is a sketch Neil has for some of the main characters-and believe you me I have stories for them all, and then some!

For more details, be sure to go check out this post at Neil Vokes' Blog.
As we go along, I'm going to be sure to update the blog (or perhaps one of its very own!) and keep everyone in the loop on this adventure.

Get ready for a BIG adventure that will KRACKLE yer brain and make you feel like a TRUE BELIEVER.

Sorry For The DelayZ

I've been offline for a bit due to a family emergency that has finally settled down-thanks to my pals that sent along their best. I'm looking forward to getting back to the fun of blogging before vacation time arrives. So I want to start with pointing you to This Post On The Blog Of Neil Vokes, Comics Artist Supremo.

Pretty cool eh? I'll chime in with more later today.

Once More I'm On Cecilia! PLUS...VOKES in the ZOMBIE POOL!

Just one more little tidbit on Cecilia from Blue Underground to follow up. The Eurocine website lists the film here. They list the film as directed by Jess Franco-so perhaps this is where the composite versus original film listing began.

Now then, to continue the Eurocine Art Archive in a whole new direction...uber artist Neil Vokes of The Black Forest, Wicked West, Eagle, Spider-Man and Ninjak fame sat down to watch the always welcome ZOMBIE LAKE. While he was more than a tad underwhelmed he did a quick Christmas sketch for Bruce Holecheck. Bruce is now the proud owner of ZOMBIE POOL!

My Thanks... YOR Thanks!! Visions Of Yor

Thanksgiving! Always a favorite holiday, and so much to be thankful for. Kids? Check...amazing every minute of every day! Family? Wonderful-all ready for the Turkey Dinner. Blogging? Hey, I even had a real life person come and visit me at SuperMegaFest. Fantastic.
And friends? Oh yes... I'm thrilled to see everyone doing so well.
And of course...I have to give thanks for YOR-HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE. I have my copy ready for Turkey Day viewing. Can. Not. Wait.
But it doesn't stop there. I'm a lucky fella-I have several incredibly talented friends and not only do they tolerate my...well, eccentric nature-but they even inspire me with these visions of YOR.
Check 'em out and have a great Thanksgiving.

First we have Neil Vokes doing an amazing action pose in classic Reb Brown mode. I love this... it looks like a fantastic large panel that leads into an incredible two page splash of Yor beating down dinosaurs AND John Steiner's RoboFlunkies.


Oh man... I'm a big fan of Ade's work. This is a quick sketch that just POPS off the page with his distinct style. Tons of depth and Yor looks like he will stomp and stab you silly. If you are from the darkest past...BEWARE! If you think you are coming from the future to dominate Yor and his friends...RUN! This guy will kick your ass! Adrian Salmon presents...YOR-THE DOMINATOR!

And of course...the infamous YOR joke ad. I fell for it of course, because I just love YOR. Click it for the big version and don't you just NEED to see Neil take on a real Yorian tale? I sure would!

Werewolves And The Blind Dead by Neil Vokes

I was scanning up the original Neil Vokes artwork from Ascension Of The Blind Dead for comicartfans.com this week, and I think it is so great it deserves posting here as well. Neil not only provided this fantastic artwork for my story, he included some cool roughs and work sheets. So, as with Belinsky's great Eurocine proposals-I present another fantastic artist's process. I love the way the tiny little drawing fleshes out, and I'm especially fond of the second rough drawing. My somewhat evil Werewolf Woman looks amazing in this draft, truly Vokesian. I left the scans fairly large, so click and dig into the details.
Sometime soon I'll hopefully be able to present The Claws Of Frankenstein Island as well.
Enjoy this little thing I call The Progression To Ascension Of The Blind Dead. And don't forget you can see tons of great Vokes art at EAGLE LIVES! And if you want to really see some amazing swag, you should check out Neil's entries at ComicArtFans.com. Follow the link and tap VOKES into the search box. Monsters and Maidens await.

Wicked West 2 Chat! Eurotrash Comics Paradise

Tomorrow (Tuesday, 9/18) I'll be helping to run a day long discussion of The Bob Tinnell, Todd Livingston and Neil Vokes book THE WICKED WEST 2-ABOMINATION at the Eurotrash Paradise. Any readers here should enjoy the discussion as the creators will be on hand and hopefully we will be discussing not only this fantastic book (hey, it features Rosalba Neri AND Paul Naschy) but other books that could be of interest to Italian Horror and Western fans. Check it out and post away. The ETP is a great place to hang with lots of folks ranging from authors to fanzine editors of days gone by to guys like me. Trash fiends looking for any fix they can find!

Join, post...and have fun! Hope to see you all there.

Mario Bava Box Bonanza!!

While hunting for a good price on Mario Bava Box 2 (and you can read the specs for this one at Mario Bava Biographer Tim Lucas' Video Watchblog here) I stumbled over a sale at DeepDiscount.com for Anchor Bay titles.
Being a cheapassDVD buyer these days I was shocked to see that you could put together a fantastic deal on the Bava sets if you act quickly!
Here is the sale:
ANCHOR BAY BUY 2 GET 1 FREE!

Now you can snag Bava Box 1 for $22.87, Box 2 (8 films with 2 versions of Rabid Dogs) for $30.18 AND you can add a bonus disc for FREE! I'd recommend getting ERIK THE CONQUERER!


While I can't afford to get Tim Lucas' Bava book - my new daughter weighs less than that tome, but requires clothing and food - this is an amazing deal to see the works of one of Italian Cinema's finest filmmakers in action.

Speaking of the Bava book, look at how happy it made our man Neil Vokes. I figure if he had a little whiskey and Irish stew in him something very naughty might happen next! Sweet sweet lovin', sweet sweet indeed.

Summer Vacation and the Wicked Wicked West!

It is that time of the year again as we pack the kids and hit the beach. While away I'll be attending this years EUROTRASH PARADISE WORLD CONVENTION 4(!!). A long hot few weeks at the beach with a sidetrack of all night trash marathons, beer and even a genuine convention this year should be just what the Awful Dr. Orlof ordered!

I wanted to leave something cool hanging (see above) as a "gone fishin'" sign, and it certainly popped up. Eurotrash Paradise charter member Neil Vokes has done up a series of sketches for various members of the ETP to go hand in hand with an upcoming discussion of THE WICKED WEST 2, the best Spaghetti Guns n' Horror comic in recent memory. Now YOU can own a similar package. The book is covered here on my blog (which includes a nice scan of THE PAGE!!) and is a must for anyone that loves Eurohorror and westerns. If you buy now from Neil you will also receive a personal sketch. Now, this isn't just a doodle folks, but a nice piece of artwork. The price for the book (which is 15.99 retail) and the art is $40.00 and interested buyers can contact Neil directly at ndv45@comcast.net. Here are some samples...Some truly iconic stuff here!

Be well and stay cool my friends...see you all for more Thriller stuff (yes, there is more), and lots of other fun swag upon my return.

Claws Of Frankenstein Island!

Just a quick weekend share-I'm delighted to have the artwork for my next story, THE CLAWS OF FRANKENSTEIN ISLAND. Neil Vokes (of Eagle, Wicked West, Black Forest and much much more fame) not only took my idea, but expanded it so far over the top it makes me want to go further as well. A harrowing tale of survival for a troupe of female wrestlers stranded on an island where nature has gone berserk. But nature may not be their worst enemy... a diabolical necro-scientist lurks deep in the hills of the supposedly deserted island. And he loves to build deadly toys...that kill!

Look for it soon-but for now enjoy the amazing Vokes artwork!
Be sure to check out Neil's YAHOO GROUP as well as the EAGLE BLOG for more.

Temporal Redundancy-Richard Eagle Lives!!

A new project in the works that should be keeping me busy is the freshly launched EAGLE LIVES blog called Temporal Redundancy-The Inner Circle Of Richard Eagle. Eagle is one of my all time favorite comics, one that came during the black and white boom of the 80's, yet managed to keep a place in my imagination for the decades that followed. A mixture of crazed martial arts, science fiction, alternate timelines and name drops and inspiration from many of my own favorite genres and films-Eagle simply ruled the stands in my mind.
In a totally unrelated fashion I met Neil Vokes-via the Eurotrash Paradise. You couldn't meet a nicer guy with that much talent if you tried, and I think he was a little surprised when on one of my first posts I called him Neil "EAGLE" Vokes. Neil has done a whole lot of stuff (check out the sidebar on the Eagle Lives site for proof) and has finally gone back to what I think of as his home base...Richard Eagle.
Yeah, Eagle is super bad!
Now that is exciting for me as a reader, because I've become quite jaded these days and spend more time reading my Essential Marvel books then anything on the stands today-so I'm down for a reason to hit the comic shops again. But even cooler was that I've actually become involved in the project. I'll be updating the Eagle blog in a slew of styles, all of which I think are pretty exciting.... so if you are a comics fan, by all means check it out. You like martial arts movies? You need to see this book. And just wait, nobody draws the weird and wacked out mega mindways of the internal struggle of man vs. orb like Vokes. Believe me on that...you'll dig it. So go, read it and I'll be posting more Thriller: A Cruel Picture stuff this weekend as well. I'm super close to a new family arrival, so all engines are go go go!